[LeMoviedave]

Yeah that's what i thought from the comments about the V280, that is is warmer and more lush, which would probably be a bad combo for my Empy and maybe even the Verite too? The Empy need a more neutral not lush amp and with the Verite, if I get lush should probably be a tube amp.



That's exactly why I was asking. I would prefer to spend a little less and the V280 is about the right amount, but I am not sure it's a great match for my cans.

How do you feel the THX matches with your phones?

 

[thecrow]

Yeah that's what i thought from the comments about the V280, that is is warmer and more lush, which would probably be a bad combo for my Empy and maybe even the Verite too? The Empy need a more neutral not lush amp and with the Verite, if I get lush should probably be a tube amp.



That's exactly why I was asking. I would prefer to spend a little less and the V280 is about the right amount, but I am not sure it's a great match for my cans.

I’m not sure if it will match the empyreans.
i’ve heard the v281 with the hekv2 and that worked well so I’m hoping/ trusting that it will work well with my hekse and utopia.

at that price i thought it’s worth having a crack


and since the v280 is on the way out if i wanted to sell it I wouldn’t lose much when buying at that price

(and the v280 would complememt my auralic taurus well)

 

[mixman]

How do you feel the THX matches with your phones?

I think the THX matches well. It's quite remarkable for a what a $300 amp. I have been to CanJam and heard amps costing a lot more that sounded no better. I would however like a different flavor, maybe more punch, larger soundstage? I have heard the Mini and do think it is outstanding.

 

[LeMoviedave]

The Mini is more similar to the THX, but better. I found myself wanting a tad more sparkle than I got from the V280. YMMV

 

[mixman]

The Mini is more similar to the THX, but better. I found myself wanting a tad more sparkle than I got from the V280. YMMV

Yeah the V280 might match my SE better, but with my warmer cans might sound dull. For me it's either the mini or possible tubes with not too much of a lush tube roll.

 

[ayang02]

Has anyone done an in-depth review of the mini vs THX AAA 789? I have seen people say the THX amps don’t have great soundstage. But I do wonder how much better the Mini is. Also an Empyrean user here....

 

[Slim1970]

Yeah the V280 might match my SE better, but with my warmer cans might sound dull. For me it's either the mini or possible tubes with not too much of a lush tube roll.

You are definitely onto something in your thinking. When I was demoing the Empyrean's, I tried them out on my Cavalli Liquid Carbon 2.0. It's a warm sounding amp and the Empyrean's definitely lost a lot of detail and clarity. The HEKse's faired much better on this amp. I also tried the Empyrean's on the GL Mk2 and it synergized a lot better and the sound was much more to my liking. The GS-X mini out performs the GL Mk2. The sound signature I'm sure is similar, but better. I'm thinking it will be a good match not only for your Empyrean's but also the other headphones in your collection as well.

 

[mixman]

You are definitely onto something in your thinking. When I was demoing the Empyrean's, I tried them out on my Cavalli Liquid Carbon 2.0. It's a warm sounding amp and the Empyrean's definitely lost a lot of detail and clarity. The HEKse's faired much better on this amp. I also tried the Empyrean's on the GL Mk2 and it synergized a lot better and the sound was much more to my liking. The GS-X mini out performs the GL Mk2. The sound signature I'm sure is similar, but better. I'm thinking it will be a good match not only for your Empyrean's but also the other headphones in your collection as well.

Thanks Slim, that's what I was thinking. Another member mentioned the same thing. He has the LP and said the synergy was prety bad with the Empy, made them sound way too bloated, so much so that he ended up selling them. I believe synergy is more important than many think.

 

[Slim1970]

Thanks Slim, that's what I was thinking. Another member mentioned the same thing. He has the LP and said the synergy was prety bad with the Empy, made them sound way too bloated, so much so that he ended up selling them. I believe synergy is more important than many think.

Synergy is very important. Unfortunately, an amp that makes one headphone sound good makes the next headphone sound like crap. So finding the right system to get the best out of all of your headphones can be frustrating. It was part of the reason why I went with the Pro iCan as my first amp because it offered a lot of flexibility. It worked for everything until I got my Susvara's. Sure it could power them, but they were dry sounding and lacked musicality. So I was on the hunt again trying to find an amp with good power that could also be musical and had good technical abilities.

From what I've been reading about the GS-X mini it sounds like it has the right mixture of all of those specs. I really want to hear it and compare it my conductor 3XR. Just to satisfy my own curiosity. Good luck in your search....

 

[LeMoviedave]

Has anyone done an in-depth review of the mini vs THX AAA 789? I have seen people say the THX amps don’t have great soundstage. But I do wonder how much better the Mini is. Also an Empyrean user here....

There is a post on Hifiguides forum here, from about 8 days ago, that offers a good comparison.
https://forum.hifiguides.com/t/headamp-gs-x-mini-balanced-headphone-amplifier-pre-amp/7331/51

 

[vonBaron]

It is 100% safe to turn off GS-X mini with headphones pluged in?
On low gain i hear little crank but on high gain this crank is loud.

 

[LeMoviedave]

It is 100% safe to turn off GS-X mini with headphones pluged in?
On low gain i hear little crank but on high gain this crank is loud.

Justin says yes.

 

[ksorota]

I am sure someone has asked this question, but I could not find it on here. Is there a functional purpose to the interesting placed holes around the amplification circuits? Seems that they are ready to accept some components unlike the holes located in other areas on the board around the volume pot and power supply.

Are they just for design flourish? They are an interesting touch if so.

Keith

 

[justin w.]

Those are ventilation + thermal coupling holes. The smaller holes do a better job coupling the copper heatsink plane on the top to the bottom of the board and the larger holes allow more rising air flow

 

[Roasty]

Sorry if this has been asked before.
With all the holes on the top cover, is it OK/recommended/not needed to maybe blow in some air to clear out the dust that gets into the unit? For eg those compressed air cans that some folks use to clean the inside of PCs. Admittedly I don't clean my gear regularly and sometimes when I do get to wipe it down, there is a layer of dust on it and I'm sure some dust inevitably gets into the unit.